Wenger set to snub PSG and extend bumper £7.5m-a-season contract at Emirates

Arsene Wenger has pledged his long-term future to Arsenal after revealing he has started talks over a new contract.

The Frenchman’s existing deal expires next summer, fuelling speculation this could be his final season in charge.

But Wenger insists his intention is to extend his £7.5million-a-season contract, and preliminary discussions with chief executive Ivan Gazidis are underway.

Signing on: Arsene Wenger is set to seal a new deal at the Emirates and snub suitors PSG

Staying put: Arsene Wenger (left) will stay at Arsenal after admitting talks over a new deal have begun

‘I am committed to staying longer at this club. I’ve already had a chat with Ivan. It went very well, not a problem,’ the 63-year-old said.

But Wenger, who has been at the helm since 1996, insists the decision will not rest solely with him.‘What I will always do in the future is not to use my longevity (at this club) as an advantage to stay in this position if I don’t do well.

‘The contract will be decided in the future. That will depend on how well I do. I’ve always shown my commitment to this club and I don’t think I need to prove anything on that.

‘Would my decision depend on how well next season goes? I am like anybody else, of course, it is important to see how well we do.

‘I don’t automatically assume that I will be here. I think I knew when I committed to my last contract and the contract before that the club were going through a very sensitive period, because we had less financial resources and the challenge was to stay at the top and in the Champions League during that period.

‘We are coming out of that period and I hope in the next two or three years the club will be competing for the Premier League.’

The Ligue 1 champions subsequently appointed former Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement at Parc des Princes — but the fact the Frenchman signed only a 12-month deal has fuelled talk of Wenger moving to his homeland next year.

And, despite providing a major indication that he was offered the PSG job, Wenger insists his future is in north London.

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‘The link with PSG is there because I’m French and I know the owners. But if that was the case then I would be there already.

‘My heart is with Arsenal. I’m not at PSG because my heart is with Arsenal,’ he said.

Wenger arrived in Indonesia yesterday for the first leg of Arsenal’s Far East tour with 20-year-old French forward Yaya Sanogo, from Auxerre, his only summer signing.

After years of restrained spending, the Gunners will loosen the purse-strings in an attempt to land at least one marquee signing.

Wenger should complete the £23m signing of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, while the club are also interested in Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez.

Landing all three could prove a step too far for Arsenal, despite their increased financial clout, but Wenger admitted: ‘They are all realistic targets quality wise, but not all of them are available to join us. First of all, those players are under contract and it is the club who decide if they can go and, if they go, if they can join us.

‘We have better financial resources than the years before and it is resources we have created ourselves. That is massively important to us.

Targets: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could be on Wenger's agenda

In demand: Liverpool's Luis Suarez has grown unsettled at Anfield and could look for a way out

Nailed on? Gonzalo Higuain (right) is likely to join Wenger in north London from Real Madrid

‘For years we were out of the race for the top-level transfers but we are coming back now because we are in a better financial situation and also because of Financial Fair Play. That will give everybody a bit more even ground.

‘We must also rely on the quality of our work, on the style of our play and the fact we develop our own players. We will only use financial resources to bring in one or two players who will give us something more.

‘We will see what we can do until the end of the transfer period and certainly before the new season starts. That’s what we are working on at the moment.

‘The fans, the players, everybody is reassured by big names. But what is important is that we don’t need numbers, we need quality. We are working very hard and I’m confident we will be able to do it.’

Wenger goes into the new season with the landscape of the top four looking completely different. The Frenchman is the Premier League’s longest-serving manager following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, while Chelsea and Manchester City boast high-profile managerial changes.

New era: David Moyes will hope to retain Manchester United's title next season

New look: Manuel Pellegrini (left) has taken over at Manchester City, with Jose Mourinho returning to Chelsea

Wenger added: ‘This is the biggest change in the top four in all the time I’ve been with Arsenal. Is the league more open than before? We don’t know, nobody knows.

‘It feels like it should be, but it is not who sits on the bench who will be most important — it is the players on the pitch.

‘But we’ve got the most stability and we hope to take advantage of that. There was a big gap between us and Manchester United last season and our challenge is to bridge that gap. But you go to Manchester City, they will want to win the league. You go to Manchester United, it’s the same, to Liverpool, to Chelsea, everybody will want to win the league.’